Silvio Berlusconi friend in prison suicide attempt

A friend of Silvio Berlusconi's, a talent scout who is on trial for allegedly
recruiting prostitutes for the former prime minister's 'bunga bunga' sex
parties, has attempted to commit suicide in prison.

Mr Mora (Left) has been in a Milan prison since June, when he was remanded in custody on charges of fraudulent bankruptcy concerning his talent scout company, LM Management

He is said to be depressed and suffering from a range of health problems which have seen him confined to a wheelchair.

His lawyers have requested that he be released from prison and put under house arrest – a court is expected to make a decision on the request this week.

"We're furious – no one from the prison told us about the attempted suicide. We only learnt about it from the press," said Luca Giuliante, one of Mr Mora's lawyers.

Mr Mora is on trial along with two associates – Nicole Minetti, an Anglo-Italian former showgirl who was propelled into politics under Mr Berlusconi's patronage, and Dario Fede, a television presenter on a channel belonging to the former prime minister.

Their trial is running in parallel with a related but separate trial in which Mr Berlusconi, 75, is accused of abuse of office and paying to have sex with an under age prostitute, a Moroccan-born exotic dancer called Karima El Mahroug.

Prosecutors in that trial, which resumes later this month, claim that more than 30 young starlets and aspiring actresses dressed up in nurse and police uniforms and prostituted themselves at Mr Berlusconi's mansion at Arcore, outside Milan.

Miss El Mahroug, now 18, who goes by the stage name Ruby the Heart Stealer, recently gave birth to a baby girl. The father is her nightclub owner boyfriend.